How IC distributors choose management software

"IC Almighty King" was established in 2009 in Shenzhen Huaqiangbei, which is known as "the world's electronic street". The company focuses on providing the best management software for the IC distribution industry. Today, we are very honored to interview "IC Mr. Zhang Hong, General Manager of Shenzhen Wangqun.

Reporter: Hello Zhang, now in the industry are talking about your "Almighty King" software. It seems to suddenly appear before us. Before I got a general understanding of your software, there are indeed some unique things compared to other software. Departments, such as your mobile phone version, phone box, you can give a brief introduction to the majority of users of the Vecurus?

Zhang: Yes, we feel a little more sudden for everyone because we did not do any promotion before, but this system of Hu Gong (software author, editor's note) has been done for more than 8 years. He is not only doing IC masters are even masters of programming. They are regarded as the top level in the country. They also won the Innovation Award in the National Original Software Contest in 2004. The Computer Newspaper used half of the version to face him. Entries have been reported, showing its programming strength. It was also in 2004 that he started the development of this software, which was not open to the outside world at that time and only a few friends were using it. In 2009, we saw a huge demand for management software for the IC distribution industry. At the time, there was no flagship product on the market. Therefore, we decided to set up a company to manage this segmented market. With profound understanding of the IC distribution industry and very high technical skills, Hu Gong took 3 years to optimize and upgrade the original system. During this time, we only promoted by word of mouth in the circle of friends, and only 100 companies. In the second half of 2012, we were basically perfected. We have only promoted it for more than three months now, but we have done a lot of work. You have done advertisements at Vicki.com, Huaqiang.com, and component trading. Body advertising, so everyone will have the feeling of "suddenly popping out", plus we do have a lot of very unique features. It's not surprising that all of them are hot.

Reporter: Currently there are many management software on the market. There are general-purpose products such as UF and Kingdee. There are also a lot of specialized products for us. These have been cultivated in this market segment for many years and have a certain user base. You What competitive advantages do you think of your "IC Almighty King"?

Zhang Zong: It doesn't matter when the product starts. The important thing is that you can do it well enough. We conducted thorough research on this market before we decided to do it, and we kept paying attention. According to our understanding of the large-scale ERP vendors, such as UF and Kingdee mentioned by you, there is almost no involvement in this industry. The reason may be that the industry is young and not standardized, and the scale is not large enough for these giants. Although the system for this industry occupies a certain market, it is a mixed bag and it is uneven. At least you can't say a very special user. Unlike the trading platform, after nearly 10 years of full competition, the basic pattern has been almost fixed, and everyone in the industry can blurt out. This is the opportunity that the market has left for us. We pay great attention to quality. After three years of repeated testing by more than 100 companies, our programmers have repeatedly improved. Now that we feel the heat is coming, we need to do Apple in this industry. To cause a sensation in the market. It can be said that we have something with other products on the market that are not an era. I can give examples from two aspects. First, from a technical point of view, you can go to Apple’s app store to search for “IC Almighty King” if you pay attention. With the upgrade record, you will find that we submitted the first version in May 2011, and then three more updates, but so far we have not found any other mobile phone version. The second from the business level I can also give a small example, basically the system has an inventory management function, and some can blow to repeat. However, our inventory management is not the same as all software, of course, to repeat is a basic function we are embarrassed to mention. Remember the 2011 Japan earthquake? At that time, the Japanese brand's goods were in full swing, and we immediately reminded members that they could use the system's inventory management function to extract all the Japanese brand models to the trading platform. This move will bring hundreds of thousands to our members. Millions of extra profits. I remember that during that time, Hu Gong was intoxicated by them every day, because they really thank us. As the saying goes, “We have a long time and we must fly high.” We dare to advertise so much because we have firm confidence in our products.

Reporter: After listening to your introduction, your technology is indeed very advanced. You already made the mobile version very early. The current system uses the most advanced cloud technology. Because Hu Gong had done IC before, understanding of the business should also be Very place. However, there is a problem that most users will worry about is the data on your "cloud", how to ensure security?

Zhang Zong: You asked very well. This is also the most question asked by customers in our promotion process. Because most of the systems on the market today are stand-alone or LAN versions, everyone feels very reassuring because the data is on their own computers or on their own company's servers. With our system, the data is unified in Alibaba. On Baba’s cloud server, everyone was worried about worrying that the data would leak and worried that they could not control the data. Some people might even feel that they did not have a sense of ownership. They were just as unhappy as renting a house, and believed that the house they bought was alive and well. I have a good understanding of this kind of users, because the security of business data is very important to everyone, but many users worry that there is a misunderstanding, the LAN version is safe? To answer this question, we might as well discuss the security in detail. If the data is safe, then:

1. Data can only be accessed by authorized users. This point from the system level, a mature system has permission control module, this is not a real concern for netizens, in fact, users are most worried about cloud technology is poor software vendors in the background to open a window every day to peek user data Illegal profits, they feel that if I use my own server, I would not have such fears. In theory, this is true. But in the actual process, I have encountered many cases of crying and laughing. Many traders are good at doing business. However, IT knowledge is quite scarce. They only know that the data is placed on their own servers. However, they do not know what the database is. They do not know the database user name and password. Poor software vendors can use software maintenance to easily store data. Copying, I heard that a software company has sold software for a few years and found that selling software is too hard, selling ICs to make more money, so it collects data from users and then sells ICs. Make money, come back to do software, of course, their software is LAN version.

2. Data can be freely imported and exported. We have a user who is also very interesting. They use a company's system, is their own server, room hosting, with the development of the business the original system can not keep up, understand our system is very satisfied with the function is to worry about the data Security, we explained to him that for a long time we finally agreed with our system. When they decided to use us, the things that they couldn't laugh or laugh would come again. They would have to import the data from the original system into our system. We don't know the database password. Can not get in, and the original system company refused to provide, this is an example of a typical software vendor abducted, we recommend that he decisively, the longer it will be kidnapped deeper. Any data in our system can be imported and exported at any time, and provides a very good user interface.

3. The data itself is safe. In other words, the computer or server that stores the data will not be infected by the virus, the hard disk is reliable, and there is a backup mechanism. This is actually very important, especially for small and medium-sized distributors who do not have IT departments, there is no energy and ability to maintain the server, I have a customer is more interesting, their previous system, the server will be reinstalled almost half a year, data Also empty once. Now that I have a summary, cloud computing is a trend in the industry. It can greatly increase the efficiency of enterprise IT use and reduce operating costs. It depends on whether a system is safe. It does not depend on what technology he uses, but whether he is really doing it. In the system, we now have 3 senior programmers constantly improving the system. We have established a strong sales and customer service team. We have invested a lot of human and financial resources in publicity and promotion. You have seen which software company in the industry has such a The promotion efforts, "If people do not know, unless they are not," we will not self-destruct ourselves for a small profit, and we sign a confidentiality agreement with each customer, we not only self-discipline, but also legally to the customer data on a lock.

Reporter: Well, after hearing you say this, my concerns are also dispelled. Now the system is really getting more and more attention from distributors. Especially with the vigorous development of e-commerce, everybody doing business, you come to me “net”, the amount of information At the same time, we have added a lot, and we all very much hope to use advanced systems to improve the efficiency of our company. If we don't use the system's hopes of going to the system, we have found that it is not suitable for business development and we want to change to a more advanced system. Mentioned that the products on the market are mixed, and the IT level of distributors is generally not high, which makes them very troublesome when choosing the system. Can you give some objective suggestions? .

Zhang Zong: Yes, choosing a system is really a waste of time. It can be said that choosing a good system can greatly improve the company's efficiency and thus enhance the company's competitiveness. The wrong choice, not only wastes the company's financial resources, but also makes the company's management more confusing. Are you first facing development or purchase? Although sometimes the cost of developing a simple system itself is not high, and some even help a friend to develop it, but we must know that the system is a continuous service process, to follow the business changes to make the appropriate improvements, many of their own development will When there is an adjustment, it is impossible to find the original programmer, so small and medium-sized distributors should not develop their own. At present, there are no less than 10 systems on the market. There is no best system that is best for your system. Here are some specific suggestions for users to refer to:

confidant. Careful analysis of the company’s needs is like buying a shoe. It is impossible to buy shoes that fit well without knowing the size of your feet. Smaller spot merchants only need simple inventory management and printing of inbound and outbound orders. A certain number of middlemen, procurement and sales have a clear division of labor, will handle a large number of inquiry data every day, I hope the function of the inquiry module is stronger, sales and procurement should be able to communicate effectively and accurately. Larger distributors want to strictly manage orders, finances, customers, logistics, and attendance. Different companies have different needs and clearly define their own needs in order to be targeted.

Zhibi. This may be even more difficult, because each software vendor will say that he is the most professional, he is specifically tailored for the industry, his own thing is best for you. At this point, you can roughly evaluate these aspects. First, look at the website, whether it still involves multiple industries. Second, look at the size of the company. If only two or three small companies have to keep an eye on their eyes, it is not that their software is not good, but that follow-up services are not guaranteed. If you buy a TV, the manufacturers Closed, you can also go to the repair shop to repair, but the management software can only develop vendors to sell. Third, look at when the software was developed and whether it will be upgraded on a regular basis. The software is not as old as possible. The development of software technology is changing with each passing day. The vitality of software lies in constant upgrading and improvement. It will certainly be out of date if you do not upgrade for a few years. Just like the best computer you bought five years ago is now eliminated. Fourth, on the homepage of general software vendors, typical users will be randomly asked to find out their satisfaction. This four axes can be eliminated by 60%. Next we will examine the architecture and functions of the system.

Architecture B/S or C/S? Simple to say that QQ needs to be installed is C/S. Like Sina Weibo, opening a web page can be used as B/S. B/S is the direction of development, especially our line. Everyone is doing business on the IC trading platform. The trading platform is B/S. If your management system is not, it will be very difficult, so C/S is basically Don't think about it.

Since it is an industry system, it is necessary to find out exactly what the other party has done to the industry. I have seen many people say that they are systems for the IC distribution industry. In fact, they have taken three or four general-purpose invoicing systems. The interface has made some targeted changes. Such software will become more and more useless. In fact, general invoicing is very cheap, we can search for "erp source code" on Taobao, do not be surprised, a system of 100 blocks.

It is very important that the data import and export interface is perfect, but it is often overlooked. Importing the interface can ensure the continuity of the company's business, exporting the interface can back up important business data at any time, and will not be kidnapped by software vendors.

Whether the module is complete, including Invoicing, Finance, Customer Relationship Management, Time & Attendance, Permissions, and the most important inquiry module for us, although you may not need so much now, but when you want to use it again one day No, then you will be quite crazy.

Whether there is a mobile phone version, of course, this is not necessary, but the mobile phone version will be more and more important in the future, especially for the company owner, the boss is generally more entertaining, many businesses have to decide the boss, so that the mobile version will greatly improve efficiency.

8) Actual operation, this is the most important part, do not look at the exquisite PPT of the manufacturer, that is the art made, do not listen to the sales staff's endless speech, it is the manufacturer summed up. You must prepare the problem in advance, and then let the sales staff operate it again in front of you, and then you must repeat it again. When testing, you must prepare a complete business process. For example, the complete process of testing the RFQ module is: To n customer inquiry à sales entry system à to purchase à purchase price à report to sales à sales to customers à end. When you walk this process through several sets of candidate systems, who is the best and the lowest, which system is right for you at a glance?

Reporter: Mr. Zhang, thank you for this detailed explanation. There is the last question. Just like many companies you just mentioned have used the system for many years, but they found that some functions are not suitable or inappropriate for their current business. Mode, communication with vendors cannot solve it. If the change system has a great impact on the operation of the company, after all, employees are accustomed to this system, if it is not particularly difficult to accept, is "killing the foot to fit the shoe" or "abandoning the dark cast", you can give some suggestions?

General Zhang: It is normal for general software vendors not to modify the functionality of a software because of the special needs of a particular company. The system cannot be changed easily. The most tragic thing is that you have just changed the system. The problems of the old system have been corrected, and new problems have arisen in the new use process. However, in the following situations, I suggest that we must resolutely “discard dark speculation.” The premise is that after sufficient comparison, we have found a new system that meets your company’s needs. First, software vendors have no regular upgrade plans. This kind of manufacturer is basically a system that was developed well in the early stage. After a period of time, the system was found to be stable. In order to reduce the operating costs of the company, the programmer was opened. If this is the case, it must be resolutely changed, because the more it is, the more it will be "harder to regain." Second, you may wish to test the vendor and tell him that you want to export the data. At this time, some manufacturers will be keenly aware that you may have to change the system. He will find various reasons to prevent you from exporting data. In this case, do not Hesitated, your company has been kidnapped by the company, and the sooner you get away, the less harm you have. Third, the new system can not only solve the problems of the old system, but also all aspects must be much better than the old system. At this time, you should not hesitate. It is worthwhile for the short-term pain to exchange for the company's long-term and more stable development.

Reporter: Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for such wonderful comments. On behalf of the vast number of users of Vecurus, I thank you for your busy schedule for accepting our interview. I wish the “IC Almighty King” is getting better and better, and her fame is getting bigger and bigger.